IRAN HINTS AT QUID PRO QUO ON SEIZED TANKERS

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Early backing for Britain on Hormuz

BRUSSELS, July 24, (Agencies): France, Italy and Denmark gave initial support for a British plan for a European-led naval mission to ensure safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, proposed after Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged tanker, three senior EU diplomats said on Tuesday.

The cautious backing at a meeting of EU envoys in Brussels contrasts sharply with the lukewarm response shown by European allies to a similar American call first voiced at NATO in late June, when countries feared they could make US-Iranian tensions worse. “Britain’s request, rather than Washington’s, makes it easier for Europeans to rally round this,” one senior EU diplomat said. “Freedom of navigation is essential, this is separate from the US campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.” Britain tested the idea to senior EU diplomats at a meeting in Brussels, saying it would not involve the European Union, NATO or the United States directly, the diplomats said.

It was the first formal European meeting since British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt outlined the plans to parliament on Monday to protect the Strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Britain raised the plan after Friday’s capture of the Stena Impero tanker by Iranian commandos at sea. British foreign ministry and defence officials have also discussed a possible mission, which would likely involve not just ships but aircraft too, directly with their Italian, Spanish, French and German counterparts.

A senior German diplomat in Berlin said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was in close contact with his British and French counterparts, Hunt and Jean-Yves Le Drian, to “contribute to the security” of the Gulf including on maritime security.

The Netherlands is also assessing the British proposal, while a Spanish official said Madrid has held talks with London and was studying the idea. Iran has rejected the proposal and says foreign powers should leave securing shipping lanes to Tehran and others in the region. Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait. Despite an American push to protect the vital shipping lane, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States paid for a route it did not use it as much as in the past.

“We don’t need it. We’ve become an exporter,” he said at an event in Washington, referring to the United States’ rising energy exports. “We’re the ones that policed it. We never get reimbursed,” he said, suggesting it was up to China and Japan to do more. Given Britain’s plans to quit the EU, the mission will strive to be a looser coalition than that of the bloc’s anti-piracy naval mission, Atalanta, off the coast of Somalia and could also involve non- EU countries such as Norway. China has a military base in Djibouti, although there has been no discussion to involve Beijing, diplomats said.

The United States believes a proposed European initiative to bolster maritime security in the Gulf would complement ongoing US efforts there instead of being a “stand-alone” operation, the top US general said on Wednesday. Asked about the British proposal, US Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said his discussions “right now wouldn’t indicate that that’s a stand-alone effort that’s separate from ours.”

President Hassan Rouhani suggested on Wednesday that Iran might release a UK-flagged ship if Britain takes similar steps to release an Iranian oil tanker seized by the British Royal Navy off Gibraltar earlier this month. His remarks could create an opening to reduce tensions as Boris Johnson becomes prime minister. It’s unclear how the new government will respond to Rouhani’s suggestion or the impasse with Iran. “We do not seek the continuation of tension with some European countries,” Rouhani said in comments carried on his website.

“Should they be committed to international frameworks and give up their wrong actions, including what they did in Gibraltar, they will receive a proportional response from Iran.” Sweden said on Wednesday it was holding talks with Iran, Britain and others over a Swedishowned, British-flagged tanker seized last week by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. “Sweden is concerned by developments in the Strait of Hormuz. For Sweden and the EU it is vital that freedom of navigation is protected. Given the very serious situation in the region, it is also important that the measures taken help to ease tensions,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “Sweden is conducting a dialogue at various levels with the UK, Iran and other relevant stakeholders … and we hope to find a resolution to the issues and de-escalate the tense situation.”

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